AuthorTopic: What key events would you include in a series about the Beatles? (Read 1200 times)

I know I posted another thread about this in the past, and now that a series about the Beatles is on the table, I'm curious what others think would be best to include and what to leave out. I think if it's a series, you don't leave out too much since this is a very dramatic story with drama, failure and success, betrayal, cheating, love, heartbreak, death...could be the greatest story ever told!

Oddly enough, the touring parts would seem the most boring unless they did some type of highlights of the craziest things that happened on tour.

The Hollywood stopovers definitely need to be portrayed. I'd love to see that scene with Peter Fonda when they're all tripping out in the backyard of that mansion. DO you think they'll show Paul cheating with Peggy Lipton?

Anyway, enough kidding around for me. Any thoughts?

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"Someone told me a few minutes ago they saw John walking on the street once wearing a button saying "I Love Paul." And this girl said she asked him, "Why are you wearing a button that says ' I Love Paul'? He said "Because I love Paul."

I doubt that the series will actually happen, as Sony/ATV has refused to lend NBC the rights to the songs or the members' likenesses. I think they're holding out for a miniseries on a more prestigious channel, like HBO or Showtime.

Anyway, if they DO do a series, I hope it's accurate rather than focusing on conjecture and made-up scandals. I'd like to see more of an emphasis on the relationship with Brian Epstein and more stuff about John's relationship with his father.

Oh, I'd love it if they went into the Peggy Lipton stuff, but no Francie Schwartz... the world doesn't need any attention on her.

The main thing I'd hope is that the type of TV series writing talent that has produced great tv series such as Mad Men, the Wire, Breaking Bad etc is reflected in any end product. The story deserves more than pro forma treatment. Engaging Lewisohn as a consultant might help avoid repeating myths too.

I'd also like them to really convey the individual personalities, rather than just caricatures hopping from one cliched scene to the next.

In terms of specific things not to miss, I'd read not long ago that Ringo was the last of the four to work on a Beatle track (excluding the later threetle stuff) when he went in alone to do some drum and percussion overdubs for the Long and Winding Road. It strikes me as a potentially poignant ending to a series, Ringo by himself in a studio where the four had worked together for seven years, quietly laying down a drum take. Especially since Ringo, of the four, was close to all of the other Beatles and didn't have the personal angst with them that Paul and John or George and Paul had at the time. Bit of a metaphor for the sixties ending and all that ( TV writers love metaphors)

It strikes me as a potentially poignant ending to a series, Ringo by himself in a studio where the four had worked together for seven years, quietly laying down a drum take. Especially since Ringo, of the four, was close to all of the other Beatles and didn't have the personal angst with them that Paul and John or George and Paul had at the time.

If they do go ahead with this any other ending is going to really disappoint me now! That truly is a poignant picture you paint.

Maybe that's part of the reason McCartney flew into a rage when Ringo came to his house to ask him to change the "McCartney" release date. He considered Ringo a traitor for helping Spector "butcher" Long And Winding Road?

That's a poignant ending indeed. Very powerful!

I've always bounced around an idea about the ending, which is based off of this quote from Emerick:

Quote

The idea for guitar solos was very spontaneous and everybody said, ‘Yes! Definitely’ – well, except for George, who was a little apprehensive at first. But he saw how excited John and Paul were so he went along with it. Truthfully, I think they rather liked the idea of playing together, not really trying to outdo one another per se, but engaging in some real musical bonding.Yoko was about to go into the studio with John – this was commonplace by now – and he actually told her, ‘No, not now. Let me just do this. It’ll just take a minute.’ That surprised me a bit. Maybe he felt like he was returning to his roots with the boys – who knows?The order was Paul first, then George, then John, and they went back and forth. They ran down their ideas a few times and before you knew it, they were ready to go. Their amps were lined up together and we recorded their parts on one track.You could really see the joy in their faces as they played; it was like they were teenagers again. One take was all we needed. The musical telepathy between them was mind-boggling.

Having it end with the Beatles getting back to their roots one last time. The part where John tells Yoko to hang back and then it's just the four of them again is great. It's three, actually, but you could stretch the story a bit and put Ringo in there adding moral support However, there's more to the story after this scene and it needs to be told so I realize now that you couldn't end it here.

So, I think I have a new favorite ending now Regardless if this movie is made or not

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"Someone told me a few minutes ago they saw John walking on the street once wearing a button saying "I Love Paul." And this girl said she asked him, "Why are you wearing a button that says ' I Love Paul'? He said "Because I love Paul."

I've always bounced around an idea about the ending, which is based off of this quote from Emerick:

Having it end with the Beatles getting back to their roots one last time. The part where John tells Yoko to hang back and then it's just the four of them again is great. It's three, actually, but you could stretch the story a bit and put Ringo in there adding moral support However, there's more to the story after this scene and it needs to be told so I realize now that you couldn't end it here.

So, I think I have a new favorite ending now Regardless if this movie is made or not

I liked that story for John telling Yoko to stay out for once. And George, for all he apprehension, did great contributions to the piece. It was all done in one take I understand.